The Bottle Rockets are one of the world’s most underrated rock bands

By Steve Newton Ever since the Bottle Rockets came out with The Brooklyn Side back in '94 I've been telling people how great they are--but nobody seemed to pay much attention. And when The Brooklyn Side was reissued by Bloodshot Records last year--along with the band's self-titled 1993 debut--I started telling people again. And now I'm back on the Bottle … Continue reading The Bottle Rockets are one of the world’s most underrated rock bands

The Newt pays tribute to Dan Baird, guitar-rock great from the Georgia Satellites

I figure it's time I paid tribute on Ear of Newt to Dan Baird, former frontman for '80s riffmeisters the Georgia Satellites. With singer and main songwriter Baird at the helm the Atlanta quartet only recorded three albums' worth of southern-fried guitar-rock—1986's self-titled debut, 1988's Open All Night, and 1989's In the Land of Salvation and Sin—before … Continue reading The Newt pays tribute to Dan Baird, guitar-rock great from the Georgia Satellites

Crest of a Wave shows off the best of shockingly underrated Rory Gallagher

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 2, 2009 By Steve Newton I’m a sucker for guitar heroes. Check out my CD stash and you’ll find the biggest sections are reserved for Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Gary Moore, and Joe Satriani. But in recent years my main guitar-god … Continue reading Crest of a Wave shows off the best of shockingly underrated Rory Gallagher

Mike Bloomfield’s fearless fretwork shines on new box set

By Steve Newton When you're talking about amazing guitarists who've passed away before achieving the widespread acclaim they deserve, Mike Bloomfield's right up there. But a four-disc boxed set released today on Sony's Legacy Recordings imprint should help get the word out on the mindblowing blues player. Here's the promotional bumph: Produced and curated by Al Kooper (who … Continue reading Mike Bloomfield’s fearless fretwork shines on new box set

Horror review: Event Horizon

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 21, 1997 By Steve Newton I’ve been a die-hard horror fan for most of my life, and the film that first got me hooked on the genre, when I was about eight, was a 1958 B-movie called It! The Terror From Beyond Space. It was about a spaceship … Continue reading Horror review: Event Horizon